Family Vacation Part Two

The rest of our vacation days were filled with time spent at the kid's pool at the resort and wandering around the west and south areas of Maui.  Highlights included:

Threes Restaurant in Kehei

Mike and Maddie at the outdoor patio at Threes

We're from California but we had the best nachos we've EVER had at Threes.  They were delicious!!  The three of us shared them as an appetizer and I can't remember what we had after that because the nachos were so mind blowingly good!  

Cabanas at the Kid's Pool at the Four Seasons

 A view from one of the cabanas

We spent most of our vacation relaxing in a cabana by the kids pool at the resort for several reasons: 1. we could see the ocean from pretty much any seat so even though we weren't sitting on the beach (because our baby can't resist eating a handful of sand) relaxing by the pool was a very close next best thing.  Additionally, the kids pool is awesome, it's two tiered and had a huge waterfall and a small slide and a very cute little heated wading area that was shallow enough for Maddie to walk about in.  Mike and I would go in the pool with Maddie get back out and put her in the pack n play that the staff provided and then they would bring us lunch, Maddie would nap, we'd each read or talk or relax and when she woke up we'd head back up to the room to refresh and get ready for our evening.  It was relaxing and fun and most importantly, the three of us were spending lots of time together. :)

Paia

We went to Paia as a day trip but we went early in the morning and had breakfast there and wandered around all of the eclectic shops that line the main road that goes through Paia.  We ate at a little crepe restaurant and both of our meals were very yummy and Maddie nibbled off of both of ours.  The bulk of the shopping that we did on this trip was in Paia, they had the cutest baby items, home items and scarves and accessories that I had seen anywhere else on the island.

Adults Pool at the Four Seasons Resort 

 View from the adults only infinity pool 

 Mike at the swim up bar

 Me at the swim up bar

Mike enjoyed a local beer

The second time that we had a nanny scheduled for an afternoon we put our name in with the adult pool cabana staff in the morning so that by the time we were ready they had a couple chairs open and available for us.  (We could have left the property or gone snorkeling, paddle boarding, scooba, etc but I'm a little paranoid about the "what ifs" of someone else watching my daughter so I decided that we would stay very easily accessible in case a "what if" situation occurred, of course nothing ever happened but still.)  The adult pool views was amazing as was the swim up bar.  Mike and I each had a drink and we shared their huge appetizer sampler platter.  This afternoon was so fun just hanging out with my husband and being dorks and relaxing.  Next time we go I'll know to put our names in in advance so that we can do this twice.

Surfing Goat Dairy Farm 

Maddie and I feeding one of the Goats 

We went to the Surfing Goat Dairy and fed the goats and enjoyed a free sampling of cheese (soooo yummy, I will definitely place an order to have some cheese shipped) but unfortunately we missed the tour of the farm.  The farm was very quaint and family friendly.  Definitely a good family activity to do with young kids.  

Road to Hana

On a whim we drove the road to Hana.  Maddie slept the whole way to Hana, then we stopped and had lunch in Hana and decided that we would drive all the way around and stop in at the winery on the back side and head back to the hotel.  Since Maddie was awake at this point Mike sat in the back with her while I drove.  This was my third time doing to taking the Road to Hana and Mike's second time.  We did this on our honeymoon but it was a chartered trip and we didn't really get to see very much, and because of the time of year that we traveled there were very few waterfalls to be seen.  This time we saw HUGE waterfalls at almost every turn and saw a ton of mountain goats on the backside of the island (where there are lots of unpaved roads, note if you plan on doing this yourself, I highly recommend renting an SUV or Jeep...not a sedan).

Restaurants

 Mike at Ferraro's

Mike at Kimo's

Maddie at Kimo's 

 View from Kimo's

Cotton Candy at Duo - and the best red wine I've ever had, Groth Cabernet 

Mike, Maddie and I before we went to dinner at Duo (taken my nanny Liah)

We ate at Spago once for one of our nanny nights and at Duo for the other night.  Both restaurants were on site and both were very good and very expensive.  Mike and I both preferred Duo over Spago for both food and ambiance and Mike liked Ferraro's food better than Spago or Duo (note, we never had dinner at Ferraro's, only lunch).  We enjoyed a lot of room service because it was just easy for us with the baby, everything we had from room service was excellent.  I wish I had a permanent room service option at home. haha!  One night we wandered over to the Grand Wailea for dinner and we were struck by how spoiled we had been with excellent service and excellent food at the Four Seasons.  During a day trip to Lahina we stopped by Kimo's for lunch on their deck and it was also very good.  Mike had a BBQ lunch plate and I had a caprese salad sandwich.  And in case you forgot, the best thing we had on our trip was the nachos at Threes! Sooooooooo good!

Extra Stuff

Mike went golfing one afternoon at a golf course just down the road in Wailea, he loved it and rented clubs from the course with no problems.  I had 3 spa treatments while we were at the Four Seasons, a pedicure, a massage and a facial.  My pedicure was mediocre at best (I had it done at the Orchid salon) and outrageously expensive, I wouldn't recommend getting a pedicure there and I will not return in the future.  However, the massage I had was one of the best I've ever had in my life at the spa at Four Seasons and the facial was also great and my skin was glowing two days later.  I also took advantage of one of the Four Seasons advertised specials and was able to do the massage and facial in a package for only $200 total, which is an excellent deal anywhere, especially when the services were amazing!  But I do regret the pedicure, it was one of the worst pedicures I've ever had for $85.

On our last night on Maui the resort surprised us yet again:

A book, cookies and juice for Maddie and some more sweet treats for Mike and I to share.

Overall, this was hands down the best vacation that Mike or I have ever taken.  We both now appreciate what family vacations are for: spending quality time with one another.  It's sad but true that this was the most time that Mike and Maddie had spent together since Mike was home the first two weeks after she was born.  When we came back home and Mike went back to work Maddie was saying dada non stop.  I know that she was missing spending so much time with her daddy and Mike told me that he missed Maddie too.  The best part for me is that Maddie was happy and having fun, my husband was relaxing and enjoying his family and when those two are happy it's all I need.  We'll definitely return next August for another amazing family vacation and hopefully we can make it an annual tradition.

What's the best vacation you've ever been on?  What made it so great?